Rotary’s First E-Club in District 7210 (Aired on October 24, 2021)

2021-11-06

Fred Widman, president of the Rotary E-club of District 7210, joins Jonah Triebwasser and Sarah O’Connell-Claitor on RadioRotary to talk about the formation and present situation of the first-ever international E-club, which has its home base in the Hudson Valley but includes members from around the world, currently including Sweden, Brazil, Nigeria, India, and Turkey. The club has regular Zoom meetings with guest speakers online one Saturday each month, but members can also attend their local Rotary club meetings when they have a chance. Also, members participate in service projects run by the local clubs or can do individual service and report back on their hours. The club began in 2010 when Ana Johnsen met a Rotarian from Nigeria and they conceived the idea of an international club, which Ana and her husband Knute Johnsen established. The club raises money primarily through a raffle for restaurant meals in high-class restaurants around the world, using the proceeds for such projects as purchase of oxygen generators for India, important during the Covid-19 pandemic, or participation in a global Foundation grant for a hospital in Brazil.

Learn more:

Rotary E-Club of District 7210: https://eclub7210.clubexpress.com/ or https://www.rotarydistrict7210.org/clubInfo/rotary-eclub-7210

District 7210: https://rotarydistrict7210.org/

About Rotary E-clubs: https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000008529/en-ca/files/sitepage/about-e-clubs/e-club-guide/eclub_guide_en.pdf